Your Guide to Visiting Athens Acropolis for the 1st Time
Acropolis means the city at the top, Athens is home to one of the best Acropolis sites that still stands today. Millions of people visit Athens Acropolis each year, making it one of the top attractions in this large city. The Parthenon is the main building atop the Acropolis with over 60 marble columns built at a small angle. The symmetry and attention to detail is an incredible work of art that dates back to 447 BC. The Athens Acropolis is one place you should visit once in your lifetime!
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Tip #1 – Athens Acropolis Tickets
Purchase your tickets ahead of time! We hiked up to Areopagus Hill to watch the sunset and noticed the ticket booths had no lines. We purchased our combo tickets the night before, and we are glad we did because the lines for the Athens Acropolis were very long the next morning and it saved us tons of time!
Ticket Options
Entrance to the Acropolis: €20.00
Combo Ticket: €30.00
The Combo Ticket allows you to visit seven archaeological sites and museums including the Acropolis. Sites and museums that are included: Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos, Archaeological Site of Lykeion, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos, Museum of the Ancient Agora, North Slope of the Acropolis, Olympieio, Roman Agora, and South Slope of Acropolis. *Do be aware that you can only enter the sites once, you cannot visit the Acropolis twice even though the ticket is good for five days.
Athens City Pass: €57.00 (price may vary depending on season and booking site)
The Athens City Pass includes everything the combo ticket does plus the hop-on-hop-off bus and major discounts for various tours and sites. You can purchase the city pass for 1-7 days depending on how long you want to visit Athens.
Some people may be eligible for a discounted ticket depending on their age, nationality, and time of year.
Tip #2 – Visiting the Acropolis for Free
You can visit the Athens Acropolis for FREE! This historic site is free to enjoy on every first Sunday of each month between November 1st – March 31st. This does exclude the popular summer months! Anyone under the age of 25 AND is an EU citizen can also visit the site for FREE any day. There are also a few holidays in which the site is free to enter, for specific dates view the Athens Acropolis website.
Tip #3 – When to Visit the Athens Acropolis
Arrive early in the morning to save time and avoid the crowds. Athens Acropolis is one of Europe’s top attractions so this can become very crowded. The large tour groups start at about 11:00 AM so get there right at open to get optimal photos and a more enjoyable experience. The gates open at 8:00 AM and close at sunset every day.
Tip #4 – Rick Steves Audio Guides
Save money and download the FREE Rick Steves audio guides. Rick Steves is a legend and offers great insights for the many landmarks located throughout Europe. He has a full audio guide just for the Athens Acropolis site that takes about an hour not including walking time and photos. His audio guides were made quite some time ago but the information is still up to date and provides a wealth of knowledge about the area.
Tip: Don’t forget to charge your phone and to bring your headphones!
Tip #5 – How long to spend here?
Plan to spend the entire day visiting Athens archeological sites. The Athens Acropolis alone will take about 3-4 hours depending on your speed, amount of photos, and audio guide. After visiting the Acropolis visit the many other sites, working your way towards Hadrian’s Library and the Ancient Agora.
Tip #6 – Restrooms & Water
There are restrooms located throughout the Athens Acropolis and they are FREE, which is hard to come by in Europe. Take advantage of these free toilets and be sure to stay hydrated. Athens can get quite hot during the summer months especially when touring the sites, so water is important to prevent heat exhaustion.
Tip: Bring your reusable water bottle and refill it at the FREE clean water drinking stations located throughout the Athens Acropolis site.
Tip #7 – What to Wear to the Athens Acropolis?
The Acropolis is a large rock with a well-paved path leading up to it. The path is quite steep and a bit of a workout. I would highly encourage wearing some good walking shoes. Once you enter the Acropolis you will be climbing more stairs, walking on rocks, and dirt paths. The Greek heat is intense so be sure to sunscreen up! I wore a fanny pack along our journey and it was the perfect piece to hold my phone, headphones, sunglasses, and wallet.
Tip #8 – Construction
There will always be construction, so do not get too discouraged if there is a large crane in your pictures. Restoration has come a long way but still has decades until the full Parthenon is restored to as close to its original structure.
Tip #9 – No Drones
Greece does not allow drones to fly above any of the archaeological sites which includes the Athens Acropolis. Leave your drone at home unless you want to risk a €500 ticket and your drone confiscated.
Tip #10 – Views for Days
Take in the stunning Athen’s city views from Acropolis Hill. I have three favorite spots! Once you enter the Acropolis site veer right towards the Theatre of Dionysus, here you will have an overlook of the theatre with the white painted cityscape behind it. Next, head towards the landing with the Greece flag standing tall. You can see 360°s of the city. The third spot is my absolute favorite – Areopagus Hill is located outside the entrance to the Athens Acropolis. There is a large rocky hill with a set of stairs leading up to it. Once you make it to the top take in the stunning views of the city.
Tip: Areopagus Hill is the perfect spot to enjoy a Greek sunset!
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